M&D linguistic paper

[Thomas Vieth]

I do not agree. You know, he uses words and phrases of 20C, too, and 
what for? Well, first, his transitions are so smooth that it definitely 
is not just fucking around but well thought through. So, why all this? 
It seems to me that by mixing the styles of different eras in such a 
smooth fashion suggests that he wants to make of it a more or less 
homogeneous body of texts which is itself a historical statement, saying 
we are not so far apart; that there is a link between mid 18C and lat 
20C, quite possibly in the field of relationships of mysticism and 
enlightenment (science). But this is also a recurring theme w/TRP.

Thomas Vieth
Down with Triolahidi
Long live Hollerodullyo


----Original Message Follows----
Date:	Mon, 16 Jun 97 09:35 BST
From:	andrew at cee.hw.ac.uk
To:	"Todd Meigs" <tmeigs at rt66.com>
Cc:	"P-list" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Subject: Re: M&D linguistic paper
Todd Meigs writes:
> . . . My professor seems to think I will dive into it only to find
> the topic runs no deeper then TRP having fun by fucking around with
> the words to amuse himself (and us, I suppose).
I think he may be right. I have just been looking through Pynchon's
`tarpaulin'*** in chapters 5-7. He appears to have mixed up several
nautical terms and also used words which the OED dates to C19.  If
this is typical (and given some anachronisms in the first 4 chapters I
suspect it may well be) then, astounding as his vocabulary is, it does
not appear to be based on careful scholarship. i.e. he's just fucking
around to amuse himself (and us).
*** a term for nautical language from another author who was a lover
of `tarpaulin', William Golding.
Andrew Dinn
-----------
And though Earthliness forget you,
To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
To the rushing water speak:  I am.



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